


Homecoming

by Wanderbird



Category: Addams Family - All Media Types, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Fluff, Other, more or less
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27351964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wanderbird/pseuds/Wanderbird
Summary: Eddie wasn't stupid. Between the pile of heavily armored corpses in his apartment and his own very publicly erratic behavior, going back to his apartment as if nothing happened would almost certainly get him arrested. But he couldn't just sit on Anne's couch forever either- if nothing else, as his ex, she was sure to attract detectives for this whole mess like flies to honey.No, there was only one option left:He had to go home.[Update: This is officially no longer a oneshot! Hurray! New chapters will be sporadically posted whenever I write them until I get bored!]
Relationships: Eddie Brock & Morticia Addams
Comments: 35
Kudos: 236





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp I've been sitting on this draft for a few months now, it's probably as far as it's gonna get. Enjoy!
> 
> Edit 2/13/2021: Due to popular demand and the fact that this au is really fun to write when my brain is actually willing to work on it, there is now more! :D Are you excited? I sure am!

When Eddie woke up on his ex-girlfriend’s couch, he knew he had a problem.

Point one: he was covered in bruises.  
This, in and of itself, was not the problem. The bruises were souvenirs from the nightmare that was yesterday’s desperate fight with Carlton Drake and the other symbiote, Riot, and it was frankly a miracle he’d managed to get away with nothing much worse. The problem was that he was _still_ covered in bruises, meaning Venom was still… unavailable. _Not dead_. Eddie refused to think of it as dead, though he still wasn’t sure why he cared so much. Venom was _terrifying_. Maybe he just hated the thought of being alone.

Point two: Anne’s famously uncomfortable couch.  
Again, this was not in itself a problem. To be honest, Eddie was amazed to see she really did still seem to care about him, somehow, despite all the shit he’d put her through. It astounded him. But more importantly, the _reason_ why he’d gone to sleep on her couch was because there was no way in _hell_ he could go back to his apartment. He’d left the door wide open when he charged out. Somebody must have found the bodies by now, must have called the cops, he couldn’t go _back_ to the crime scene he created in the apartment he rented. Hence, couch. But he couldn’t stay here either. Even setting aside that fact that Annie and Dan really did need their own space, and that he was no longer welcome in it, Anne was like… his only personal contact in all of San Fran. This was the first place the police would look.

Where could he go?

He had no contacts in San Francisco. Maybe a handful of people in a handful of cities even knew his full name, much less would be willing to let him crash on their couch for however long this took. And Mom… He was never going back to Mom.

“Hey Eddie,” Anne gave him a gentle smile when she noticed he was awake, though she kept rummaging in the cabinet. “Sleep well?”  
“You know me,” he joked. “I sleep like the dead.”  
“You sure do on that couch,” she gave a short laugh. “Vampire pose and everything. Want some cereal?”

Eddie started coughing, but after a few seconds he managed to get it under control.  
“No, uh, no thanks, Annie. I’m not really hungry.” That was a lie, he could feel it in his gut. He was absolutely _starving,_ but… well, he didn’t want to impose, and besides, this didn’t feel like normal hunger. Maybe it was just some fatalistic nostalgia talking, but it felt like the same kind of hunger that had driven him to bite into a live lobster not so long ago _._ “Actually, have you got any tater tots?” he gave in. “Or candy, or, or something?” That had helped, last time, a very little. But why would it help this time? He was alone!  
“Hah! Are you trying to find my stash?” Anne chuckled. “Alright, alright. How about Chips Ahoy?”  
“Worth a shot.” Eddie almost fumbled the box she tossed to him, but got a grip on it before it slipped away. “Where’s Dan? It’s a Saturday.”  
“He said he needed a little while to himself before he comes back. He had a night shift in the ER last night, and one of his surgeries didn’t go well. Not to mention that I’m sure he needs a little time to think over this whole… mess,” she added, the nervousness clear in her voice.  
“Oh.” _Great job,_ Eddie thought to himself. _Way to feel like a piece of shit._

 _  
_ They kept talking for a while.  
Dan came in eventually, and to Eddie’s own surprise the room did not sink into awkwardness, even when the conversation turned to Eddie’s options for the future. At least he didn’t have to talk about Venom.

“I’m telling you, I _literally_ don’t know anybody else. Not well enough to crash with them for some indeterminate amount of time, at least.”  
“How do you think you _get_ that close?” Anne was trying to be encouraging, though he could see it was getting to be a bit of a strain on her. Eddie certainly felt like enough a sad sack for it to get on his own nerves, much less hers. “You must know _somebody.”_

“What about family?” that was Dan’s addition. Smiling, friendly, he seemed to be taking this as an excuse not to think about his own problems, though he also seemed to have gotten over the failed surgery weirdly fast. “Do you have anyone in your family you could fall back on? Parents, siblings?”  
“No, and no—”  
“Not even a cousin or something?” Anne pressed. “They can’t exactly say no.”

“I…” Eddie paused. He did have cousins. And a loving, adoring aunt and uncle. But he hadn’t spoken to them in so long… “I suppose I do, actually. In Florida. But I guess I could take a road trip?” He might just be able to swing that, money-wise, without trying to break into his crime scene of a ramshackle apartment. Barely. It wasn’t like he’d need money once he got there, assuming they didn’t just murder him outright for abandoning the Family for so long. He was moderately sure they wouldn’t.

“It’ll get you further from the investigation. If you like, Dan and I can come with you as moral support—"  
“Fuck no!”  
Anne looked positively offended at that, so Eddie calmed himself down and did his best to explain.   
“Look, it’s not, it’s not you. You guys are great. My family’s just a little… much, and I already don’t know how they’ll react to my showing back up after all this time, and I just don’t want to risk it, okay?” Certainty and dread mingled in his gut as he decided. “But I’ll take that road trip.”  
  


~~~

Eddie had never minded road trips before.

But now, with all his few important worldly belongings packed onto his bike, the voice in his head painfully absent—it wasn’t the same. At least he didn’t own much that he actually cared about, so it didn’t matter that he’d left it in his apartment. His old apartment. And if there was anything valuable, Annie promised she’d try and get it back from the cops for him when the investigation finished. She’d be the first person his stuff went to, if they didn’t try to get it to his family, assuming the cops declared him dead as Eddie expected. In the meantime, he would be…  
Here.

God, he forgot how weird the place looked, even from the road.  
A great, teetering mansion all in black and grey, with scraggly grass and dead trees scattered around it—it was the prototypical haunted house. Apparently, it hadn’t changed much in his absence, beyond the fresh coat of paint on parts of the walls that was already beginning to peel.

He chugged up to the front gate.  
“Hey Gate,” he caught himself on one foot, flipping the visor up on his helmet. “Can I come in?”  
After a long, tight moment, Gate swung open, creaking loud enough to wake the dead. Eddie rode through and up the driveway at as sedate a pace as he could manage, parking the motorcycle up front for the time being.  
_Right,_ he bit his lip. _Time to see the Family._

He knocked on the door.

Maybe he should have called, or something. To warn them. But it was too late to back out now, because the door was already squealing open to reveal…

“Lurch!” Eddie smiled, though the expression was probably relief more than it was genuine happiness. Lurch, at least, was almost always friendly and easy to deal with. And the most likely of the Family not to hold a grudge. “Good to see you, buddy! It’s me, Eddie.” Best to get this part out of the way, he supposed. “I know it’s been a while. Can I, uh, talk to Auntie Morticia please?” Eddie knew he had no reason to be nervous, but he was consumed by anxiety anyway. If Auntie Tish was angry with him—god, he didn’t even know what he’d do. It was Tish who’d taken one look at him after her sister died and _insisted_ on adopting him, even terrifying Dad into giving him up so it could be done legally.  
“Muuuuhh.” Lurch nodded, and Eddie felt absurdly glad to see the smile on his face. He followed Lurch through the nostalgic corridors and into the greenhouse.

He hovered there in the doorway.  
Aunt Morticia was bent over her roses, on the far side, trimming off the heads. She looked… the same, pretty much, if with a few more wrinkles on her face, from her bright red lipstick to the form-fitting dress. At least he could be sure she wasn’t a vampire or anything, even if the 50-something year old portrait of Grandmama in the closet did look a hell of a lot like an older version of her.  
She turned.  
“Eddie!” Her smile warmed places inside him Eddie barely even remembered he had.  
“Hey, Morticia!” he trailed off. God, this was awkward. “Sorry, I haven’t been… around, I just—”

“What happened to ‘Auntie Tish’?” Morticia floated to his side, and next thing Eddie knew, they were seated on a bench by the Albany pitcher plant. “Eddie, honey, I know you haven’t been around. We all need some time to sort ourselves out in our lives, in the Family especially. I certainly did!” A laugh, quiet and reassuring. Was that a hint of bitterness in her voice? “Oh _,_ I’m so glad to _see_ you! I’ve had a bit of empty nest back here, I admit, with the other children all off on their own. How long are you staying in town?” 

“That’s… what I needed to ask you about. I’m kind of…” he swallowed. _Wanted. By the police. For murder._ “Can I stay here for a while?”

A blink. “But of course!” Morticia put one arm around his shoulders, gentle as a puff of smoke. “Of course you can stay with us, for as long as you please. You’re a part of this family, dear. How long were you thinking?”

“I… really don’t know,” Eddie leaned into his aunt’s touch almost without noticing. He was so _tired._ He was always tired these days, ever since Venom—left. “I can’t go back to San Francisco for a while, at least.” He took a deep breath. “I, uh, I’m pretty sure the cops think I’m a serial killer now.”

Morticia didn’t so much as stiffen, though she did let out a slow, deceptively even breath. “Murder, huh?”

“… I don’t know why I told you that,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have, I mean I’m sorry, I didn’t, I’m sorry—”  
And then Auntie Tish’s other arm was around him too, warm and comforting and wrapping him in a hug, and Eddie held back a sob. Finally, finally, he reached up to hold her close, and let the tears fall where they may, invisible against the stark black of her dress.  
“God, Tish, I’m so sorry.” Contrary to their public image, Eddie knew perfectly well, the Addams family were not actually _evil_. Usually. They were not, generally speaking, murderers and kidnappers and the like, except occasionally of those people who really, truly deserved it. And now he’d showed up, out of the blue, after years and years of no contact to proclaim himself a serial killer? What was he _thinking?!_ “I didn’t do anything,” he managed, “Or I did, but it wasn’t… It wasn’t by choice? I, uh, I really pissed off the Life Foundation. Like _really_ pissed them off, I broke in and found they were doing lethal experiments on homeless people without even telling them what they signed up for, and then I got fired before I could publish it. And they sent goons after me.”  
“And you killed them.” Tisha’s voice was soothing.  
“It was an accident.” He didn’t mention Venom. Why would even Aunt Tish believe him, when he had no proof that an _alien goo symbiote_ had possessed him into killing all those people? “It really was, it was an accident. They were shooting at me, and—”

“They were _shooting_ at you?!” Morticia pulled back a little, and the expression that traced her face was strangely melancholy. “Self-defense,” she whispered. Her hands clasped either side of his jaw. Her own face shifted into a small smile as she looked him over, and when she spoke again, Eddie was flooded with relief.  
“Eddie, if you think you did the best you could in the circumstances, I believe you. I’ll always believe you. And so long as you did the best you could, you have my—and the Family’s—undying support. Besides, don’t you remember our motto? We gladly feast on those who would subdue us.”

And then he realized. _Feast on those who would subdue us. We gladly FEAST on those who would—god, Venom would have enjoyed that._  
“Feast—” Eddie spluttered, before breaking into another wracking set of coughs.

“Fuck,” he hacked when it finally stopped, “ow.”  
Aunt Tish didn’t move, all through his coughing fit, only stared in blatant concern.

She frowned when he drew back again. “Eddie, are you alright?” she asked softly.  
He sniffed. Fuck, that hurt. His whole throat throbbed, just like it had yesterday. There was definitely something wrong with him, with Venom gone. But what could he do about it? Eddie pressed his head to his aunt’s shoulder, when she didn’t pull away, and ignored the tears on his face, the fire in his lungs.  
“Yep,” he said. “I’m as fine as I’ll ever be.”

“Come,” Aunt Tish brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. She stood at last, though she kept her hands on his arms and raised a dubious eyebrow. “Come on, mon petit chou. Let’s get you settled, and then we’ll go see Grandmama. Maybe she can help.”

Eddie let himself be ushered about the house. Auntie Tish, of course, went tight-lipped and unhappy when she saw that he’d only brought a backpack full of basic supplies on the motorcycle, though she covered up her displeasure well. Apparently they would go clothes shopping first thing tomorrow. Eddie knew better than to argue. His room was still empty, of course, converted into an extra guest room in his absence, and with Morticia’s help, it was soon full of all his boxes of stuff from storage. He shouldn’t have worried about how few things he had on his way here, honestly, he had plenty of clutter shoved up in the attic, and Aunt Tish was _way_ better than he was at disarming the traps than he was. She had a lifetime more’s experience, after all.

And then they ran into Uncle Gomez.  
“Eddie, my boy! I haven’t seen you in years!”

Eddie found that his answering smile was surprisingly sincere as Uncle Gomez clasped him in a hug—and then he was completely _un_ surprised when mischief glinted in the older man’s eyes, and Eddie flew across the room and onto the floor with a thump. Gomez was on him in a few seconds, sending a sword soaring into each of their hands—Eddie set his on the floor. Raised his empty hands.  
“Sorry,” he wheezed. Too bad, the fight would have been kinda fun. It always was. “I think I’m gonna have to call swordfish on this one. My health’s sorta gone to shit recently, I don’t know that I’ll be able to breathe well enough to fight.” Or whether his heart would take it, for that matter. It had felt weird and fluttery every so often in his chest ever since the fight with Drake. But what was he supposed to do about it, go to a hospital? Not if there was the slightest chance Venom was still around. And Dan was on the other side of the country now, well out of reach.

Uncle Gomez pouted. “Oh, all right.” He put the swords back on their stands, and offered Eddie a hand up, which he took cautiously. “What’s the occasion?”  
“Of my visit?”  
“Darling, do you recall that _report_ that Eddie’s old network issued a few weeks ago? About the experiments, and the Life Foundation?” Morticia called as she floated toward them.  
“But of course!” Gomez grinned. “It sounded like your work, Eddie, even if you didn’t claim any credit.”  
“Well,” Her voice was pleased as _punch._ “Apparently they sent goons after my dear nephew, after he investigated them and found some truly _awful_ experimentation going on.” She smiled, a familiar glint in her eye. “Eddie dealt with those goons exactly as any Addams should. I take it the crime scene must have been left a little messy, as the police appear to be after him, but it _was_ his first murder, after all. He’ll learn.”

“And so now you need a place to stay?”  
“Uh… yeah,” Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, that would be great. And besides, it’s not like anybody’s gonna manage to arrest me while I’m in here, even if they do learn I’m in Florida.”

Uncle Gomez beamed. “We would love to have you, isn’t that right, mi amor? We’ll have to throw a party in honor of your return and everything! Once you’re feeling better, at least.”

Eddie relaxed. The Family parties weren’t really his scene, but— the Addams did not throw halfhearted parties. If they wanted to have one for him, then he had to be truly welcome. And the feeling of being really, truly _welcome_ somewhere was the best thing he’d felt in weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're creepy and they're kooky, they're altogether spooky, they're altogether ooky, the Addams family! :D
> 
> Thanks to @erudipitous for beta'ing this and also for getting me unstuck with the letter idea, they are awesome!  
> If y'all have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to tell me about them! I only have very vague plans for this so far, so I would totally welcome ideas on where to go next. Happy reading!

Seeing Grandmama again was _awkward._

Not in the way that reunions with long-estranged relatives was usually awkward, with the long silences and constant talking about things that did not matter to any of the conversation’s participants. At least this was a different awkward. Instead, Grandmama seemed to take Eddie’s sudden and unannounced arrival entirely in stride, peering at him through her clouded eyes for a few seconds before speaking.  
“Did you get a parasite while you were away?”

Eddie choked. “It—it’s not a parasite, Grandmama, it’s—” he stuttered as he tried to get his mouth under control. “I don’t have a parasite. It’s dead. I, uh, saw it die. Okay?” The whole family was there at the kitchen table, Aunt Tish on his left, Uncle Gomez hovering off to the right somewhere with Uncle Fester, and Grandmama seated across from him, staring at him. It was unnerving, having her full attention. Not even the soft shadows and mysterious clouds of ferociously herbal-scented vapors that trailed across the kitchen were enough to soothe him, familiar though they were. He fiddled with his hands under the table.  
“Oh, yes!” Grandmama cackled, and Eddie relaxed. “Of course, of course, it’s very dead, your parasite. That’s why you’re so ill, you know. I bet it was working quite hard to keep all your little organs running, dear, and there’s not a lot of parasite left to go around. Want a chocolate?”

Where Grandmama produced the little plastic-wrapped Hershey’s bar from, Eddie had no idea. It was probably best not to speculate. But he took it anyway, and when he bit into the faintly chocolatey candy, overwhelmingly sweet and tasting slightly of plastic, Eddie actually felt _hungry_ for the first time in days. He tried not to feel ungrateful. “Can you do anything about it?” he asked. “My parasite?”  
“Maybe, maybe.” The old witch tapped her fingers to her chin. She hauled out her books from the cupboard, then, one at a time and smelling strange and stale, vaguely reminiscent of rotten meat—Eddie tried his best not to think about why books might stink like that. The whole table creaked when she dumped them down. She thumbed through the first few tomes fairly quickly, hemming and hawing as she searched. After a while, Grandmama grinned. “Aha!” she pointed to a paragraph of streaked writing that seemed to squirm like ants on the page. “I could get rid of it for you, if you want.”

“No!” Eddie was surprised by his own vehemence, and did his best to soften his tone before Auntie Tish could comment on his bad manners. “No, sorry, I don’t want it gone. Not if there’s another option.” He tried not to think about how weird that sounded. Surely even his family would be freaked out by it all eventually, right?  
“Alright, alright.” Grandmama rolled her eyes. “You young people, so defensive! But you don’t want it gone, do ya? I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to leave that poor thing in the state it’s at, not for either of you—but maybe I can strengthen it for you, dear.” She turned back to her books, humming a jaunty little tune that sounded a bit like the Simpsons theme. How could she even read such fine print in this dim light? Eddie sure couldn’t. Maybe that was just the font, though, or the language. Or the contents. Or the faint dizziness that seemed to follow him everywhere these days, and which had only grown worse in this damp kitchen filled with far too many _smells._

Eventually, Grandmama leaned back in satisfaction. “Yes,” she creaked. “Yes, that should do it.”  
What it was she was reading, Eddie had no idea at all—all he could see was illegible scribbles.

“We’ll need about twelve pounds of chocolate and some people in love—I’m sure Tish and Gomez will be happy to help as far as that’s concerned. And some other, heh, ingredients, of course.”  
Eddie blinked. “Chocolate?” he asked. “Why chocolate?”  
“Very important, the chocolate!” Grandmama grinned her usual toothless grin. “But why is none of your business, if you don’t already know! I’m a little surprised you don’t, to be honest. If nothing else, it should help with the whole multiple organ failure issue you’ve got going on.”  
“Multiple—” Eddie broke off. _Multiple organ failure?!_ he thought incredulously. Then he remembered. “Shit. You’re right. Dan warned me about that, but Venom swore it was an accident, that they could fix it, and now they can’t!” He felt the panic rising. “What the hell can I even _do_ about that?! I’m gonna die!”  
“Well of course you’ll die, dearie!” Grandmama patted him on the arm in a gesture that was probably meant to console him. “We all die someday. But there’s no reason it has to be anytime soon, if we can get your parasite up and running again—that’s Venom, is it?”  
Eddie hadn’t meant to say that. “I… yeah,” he admitted. “Their name is Venom.”

Somehow, _somehow,_ Grandmama didn’t seem the least bit put off by this. Neither did Aunt Tish, for that matter, hovering off to the side. Aunt Tish simply nodded and kept one hand on his arm, cool and soft and comforting. “Very good. We’ll get this done before the party, don’t you think? And then we can celebrate your improving health as well as your return!”  
After a few minutes of writing as she hummed to herself, Grandmama produced a list covered in spidery black handwriting. “Right. Here’s the list of supplies we’ll need.” She levered herself slowly up from the table. “I’m sure we have some of it squirrelled away somewhere, but the chocolate and most of the herbs should be relatively fresh! We want your little passenger to feel better, after all, not worse.”

Auntie Tish stayed at his elbow, scanning down the list with one elegant finger. After a moment, she paused. “…human brains, Mama?”

“Oh, that! Yes, yes, I suppose that might cause some concern.” Grandmama gave her usual toothy grin, seemingly oblivious to Eddie’s sudden sputtering while she piled up her books again.  
“What— _seriously?!”_ Eddie burst out. “We can’t just—I don’t want to _kill someone!”_ God, at least earlier he’d had the excuse of Carlton Drake’s goons hunting him down like a rabbit. Killing someone _now,_ after the imminent danger was past, would be—that would be _murder._  
“The brain can be pickled or canned instead of fresh, so long as the liquid is still there, dear. And we don’t need very much.” Grandmama patted him on the arm as if that would reassure him. “I’m sure we can manage!”  
Eddie tried to get up, tried to get away from the absurdity that was his family so he could clear his head— but Morticia’s grip kept him nailed to the table. She wasn’t even looking at him! And then Gomez said something, or he thought it was Gomez, but the world had all gone kind of blurry, and maybe this whole standing up thing had been a bad idea to begin with…  
Eddie gave up and sat back down.

Auntie Tish pursed her lips. “How about Uncle Knick-Knack?” she said at last. Her words, at least, were still in focus. “I’m sure Fester would volunteer, of course, he does love you so, Eddie. But I’d be loathe to put him through a _second_ lobotomy. Uncle Knick-Knack was such a loathsome man. It would serve him right to actually end up helping the Family in death. And his body _is_ easily accessible, and well-preserved in the attic.”

Grandmama gave a rather smug nod. “I’ll have to take a look at him, but that should work.” She grinned. Her three remaining teeth were crooked and stained, exactly as he remembered. “See, Eddie? I told you we’d manage!”

* * *

If Anne had had her way, it would have been a clean break.  
Eddie fucked up. She broke up with him. That should have been it, and she never should have had to give a single shit what happened to him after that.

Or else all that ridiculous alien bullcrap would have gone down and then Eddie would have been okay! And she could, again, stop caring! Even though the results Eddie had uncovered were true and horrifying—he’d had _no_ right to go snooping in her case files. That violation of privacy should have been the last straw even in their otherwise stable relationship—but what kind of asshole wouldn’t even keep in contact with Eddie after that nightmare of a few days and the murders and—and his terrible apartment was a crime scene now, and where else was he supposed to stay?  
So yeah, she cared.  
Sue her.

“Is that another letter?” Dan peered over her shoulder, leaning one arm on the kitchen counter. “From Eddie?”

Anne sighed. “It is, yeah.” she opened it with one long fingernail, the crinkling of paper too quiet to be noticed over the sizzle of vegetables in a pan. “I don’t know. I feel bad for him. He’s never talked about his family much, and now…”  
“Not to mention all the medical problems.” If anything, Dan looked even more worried than she did. “If he can’t get some quality health care soon—Annie, he was _days_ away from total organ failure. Obviously things must be at least a little better now or we wouldn’t still be getting letters, but.”  
“He said he was almost home, last time.” Anne pursed her lips. “He does _know_ he needs a hospital. Maybe his family can help him.” Knowing Eddie, though, she wouldn’t be surprised if he put it off, or simply didn’t bring it up.  
“I hope so.”

Anne pulled the letter out of the envelope and spread it on the counter. She narrated the words out loud. “Let’s see…”

_Hey Annie.  
_ That was a start, at least.

_I’m back with the Family.  
I know you were worried about what kind of welcome I’d find, and honestly I was pretty freaked out too. But everything went—weirdly well? Aunt Tish seemed really happy to see me, and pretty much the whole household bends to her will. Not that it needed to, since Uncle Gomez took one look at me, wrapped me in a hug, and then threw me across the room like it was nothing. I swear, those two haven’t aged in twenty years! They say they’re happy to host me as long as I need. Frankly, I’m more worried about being able to leave._

“So that’s concerning,” Dan interjected. “The guy who raised him threw him across a room? And he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to leave?”  
Anne frowned, but kept reading. It didn’t _sound_ like Eddie was unhappy with the situation, but Dan certainly had a point. Eddie always had been reluctant to ask for help. Would he tell her if there was something seriously wrong?

_I’m right back in my old room, which is kind of a mixed blessing. Aunt Tish helped me go through the attic for the things I had tucked away, and I only picked up a few light injuries in the process, so I guess that’s a win, too. Grandmama found out about Venom pretty much immediately. She means well, she’s just… she’s just a lot. Really involved in Family stuff._

“Also concerning.” Anne remarked. “But maybe the attic is just not super safe? Or his health problems kicked in and he fell over or something. That might explain his grandma learning about Venom, too, if they got him to finally find a hospital.”  
Dan stopped stirring the veggies long enough to scan over the letter. One eyebrow shot up in surprise. “The Family? Capitalized? Has he like… talked to you about that before?”  
“Not a word,” she answered. “That’s how he always refers to them, though, just ‘the Family’. He’s mentioned his aunt and uncle and everyone before, but he doesn’t actually _talk_ about them. Or what it’s like to live with them.”

_If you want to get in contact with me_ , _I wrote out my address at the bottom of this letter. Don’t worry, it’s safe. No-one’s gonna reach me in here without invitation from me or the Family, and no way in hell is a cop ever gonna manage that. The law’s never gotten along very well with—well, with us. God, it’s weird counting myself as an Addams again._

_Anyway.  
Florida is as hot and miserable as ever, especially in biking leathers. _

Anne gave a snort of amusement at that; she couldn’t help it. Eddie never had liked the heat. The address was a surprise, though, as was the remark about police. “I suppose that’s true enough,” she said. “I don’t think Eddie’s ever actually been _charged_ with anything, but he’s certainly been arrested on suspicion plenty of times. Or for making a nuisance of himself.”

_Anne—I’m sorry. Thank you, thank you for everything.  
You don’t need to fret over me, I promise. I’ll be fine on my own._

_All the best,  
Eddie._

_P.S.  
Say hi to Dan, if he’s around! Hope you’re both doing well._

“Well that’s sweet of him.” The stir fry finished, Dan handed her a plate. “I didn’t know he cared!”

“Of course he does, it’s Eddie.” Anne smiled fondly down at the letter. “Eddie cares about everyone. He really is sweet. Not that—I mean—”  
“No, I get it,” Dan soothed. That was part of what Anne loved about him, was how _calm_ he was. He didn’t keep jealousy on a hair trigger. Eddie hadn’t either, but with just about every other man she’d ever dated, if she’d said something like that… “Eddie _is_ sweet.”  
Anne took the plate, but she eyed the surgeon dubiously at the same time. “He tried to strangle you in the hospital,” she pointed out. “I mean I’m not disagreeing, but— you don’t hold that against him?”  
Dan shrugged. “It’s hardly the first time a patient or relative has tried to kill me. Everyone reacts weirdly to bad news. And it’s hard to find worse news than ‘You’ve had a psychotic break and are probably also going to die in a few days’. When you add in the things you told me about Venom—well, no wonder the poor guy was hanging on by a thread. I can’t blame him.”

“Huh.” It was all she could really think to say.

“Do you want to write back?” Dan prompted. “You don’t have to, you know. He did say he’d be fine on his own, and Eddie Brock isn’t your responsibility.”

Anne took a moment to think this time before she answered. “I don’t… I know that. Eddie’s not my responsibility, but he’s… reckless, sometimes. That’s all. He’s a good man, but he doesn’t have a lot of close friends, and I feel like sometimes he gets in over his head.” She cracked a smile. “Besides, he’s fun to be around when he isn’t dying.” Then there was a warm hand on hers, and she looked up at her boyfriend. Right. Anne switched gears. “I’m sorry, Dan, I didn’t mean—Eddie made his bed, okay? He’s just a friend. I’m dating _you._ ”

She wasn’t sure how to interpret the look on his face. Dan didn’t seem angry, at least, just—wary? Puzzled? Unsure what to say?  
“No, it’s—that’s fair. It makes perfect sense that you might want to stay friends, and I mean it’s obvious you still care about Eddie and that’s fine, I just—look.” Dan paused. He held his breath for a few seconds while he thought, then carefully released it. “I’m kind of terrible at guessing, so I’m just gonna ask outright: Are you sure you’re ready to be dating again? I mean I’m not—I’m not doubting your word on this, and I do love the relationship we have. But you seem to be—well I just think I’m picking up some mixed signals here, and it seems like every time you mention Eddie, you start acting hesitant for some reason. I just want to make sure you’re focusing on whatever it is _you_ want, not what’s convenient for me or Eddie, that’s all. So. Your choice. I get that this is kind of a rough time, so do you want to be dating? Do you want to be dating _me_? Or would you rather be friends only right now?”

Anne blinked. Nobody had ever… asked, up front like that. It was nice. What _did_ she want, anyway?  
“I think…” she trailed off. Dan had been honest with her, he deserved honesty in return. “I don’t know _what_ I think,” she said quietly. It was difficult, even here in her own home, to think only about what _she_ wanted. She kept picking at her food, though. Food helped. Dan being blunt about the whole mess helped more, and after a long moment, she answered. “I like you, Dan. A lot. I… want to keep dating you, but Eddie is my friend, with everything that entails. Even though he broke my trust. I can't just abandon him. If we’re gonna to do this… you need to be okay with that.” Anne met his gaze as evenly as she could manage. “So are we still doing this?”  
 _Please say yes,_ she thought. _Please. I don't want to have to do this all alone.  
_

Dan beamed back at her. “Excellent!” he said, and then paused, embarrassed. “I mean. Yes. Yes, that sounds great- good to me.” He switched to a more nervous smile. “I understand. He’s a friend. You don’t just leave your friends behind. Or let them get sucked back into a possibly-abusive household full of weird cultish undertones without even trying to check up on them.”  
God, hearing that was such a relief.

Anne let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Good,” she said firmly. “Good. And if I decide to go after Eddie?”

There was nothing but honesty in his voice. “Then I’m with you all the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you liked it, I may write more! :)


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